Japan gifts Guyana US$17.8m for renewable energy

The Government of Guyana yesterday clinched a deal with Japan for US$17.8m in renewable energy for the city.

Tokyo, in an agreement which had been announced before, is also providing US$1.3m for energy-saving street lamps.

A ceremony for the signing and handing over of the grants was held in the Conference Room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday. Present were Mitsuhiko Okada, Ambassador of Japan to Guyana, and Manorma Soeknandan, the Deputy Secretary General of CARICOM.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, in his remarks, said that the US$17.8m pertains to “improving the efficiency of the power system in the City of Georgetown and the surrounding areas by enhancing substation and distribution equipment as well as establishing a PV (photovoltaic) system and an energy management system at the CARICOM Secretariat”.

The US$1.3m, he related, is to fund the procurement of 10,930 units of Light-Emitting Diode (LED) street lamps, which will replace the street lights currently located in select areas, a release from the ministry stated.

“As Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, I am extremely heartened by the timeliness of the Government of Japan’s contribution in the area of renewable energy because such assistance accords well with Guyana’s development trajectory which is of course towards becoming a Green Economy,” Greenidge said. The minister added that both initiatives will significantly contribute to the country’s Green State Initiative.

Greenidge thanked the Government of Japan for its continued generosity, and made reference to the various means of support provided over the past decades as a result of the alliance.

“Both our countries are committed to economic progress and a better way of life for our peoples, and it is hoped that this shared goal will further encourage closer ties between the two countries and peoples…May relations between Guyana and Japan continue to grow and grow rapidly and may this growth continue to be of mutual benefit to the peoples of both countries,” he stated.

In her remarks, according to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI), Minister Annette Ferguson said she was grateful to be receiving on behalf of MPI and the people of Guyana, the consignment of Gamma LED Street Lamps that will be installed.

Several communities will be lit for the first time from the installation of these LED lamp, she added and will improve safety.

“When we examine our Accident Scoresheet, it is quite evident that the majority of our serious and fatal accidents occur after dark. The absence of street lights in many of these areas is seen as a major contributing factor.

“Our Ministry believes that the installation of the more than 7,000 LED lamps along our major roads and highways and 2,000 in communities will result in a reduction of serious crashes, damage to property, fatalities and a greater sense of security in our communities”, Ferguson said.

She said that the transition from HPS (High Pressure Sodium) Lamps to energy efficient LED lamps will allow a 65% reduction in street lighting energy consumption annually and allow us allocation of scarce resources to other development areas.